Armored Core: Prodigy
by Viper-K
Summary: A story of natural skill versus battle hardened age an experience, and much more.  First submission EVAR! R&R, TY


-Authors note: my first entry/submission here, hopefully you all will enjoy,please mind any discrepancies between my story and accual canon the AC universe, ive been a long time fan of the games, but its been awhile sinces i played and understood the stories. for that reason, im tryin to use all orginal matierial, and any similarieties between a person or core should be concidered a shout out or coincedence. also, i dont have a parts inventory list for the cores, so youll ahve to fill in the blank with specifics, peace-

_-VK_

_**Armored Core: Prodigy**_

It's been five years since that maniac sent the cradles crashing down. Five years that we've been reminded of the ignorance of our own species. There are less than one billion people left on Earth barely managing to scrape out a living on this Kojima polluted waste of a planet. There are more Normals and MT's than people, and what are we doing? We're at war over_ how _to save each other.

The quiet city ruins were slowly filled with the low roar of a NEXT's boosters. The still rubble gradually trembling from the approaching mech. Its engines quieted as the NEXT known as Fade slowed to a stop inside a round-a-bout in the city intersection. He walked the course of the road, a green light traced around the optics of the Cores sleek, angular head as he looked down each avenue. Fades' sharp and slender frame slowly paced the length of the streets, the black matte color scheme standing out against burnt gray of the decayed buildings.

"C'mon already kid, which way" said the pilot, thinking aloud

The mini-map on the pilots HUD flickered and refreshed, a new way-point appeared on screen.

"S-sorry Mr. Kilo, sir." stammered a young sounding fellow on the other side of the radio "There seems to be a lot of Kojima interference today"

Kilo sighed, experience is a rare commodity these days.

"Okay kid, first off, no 'sirs' or 'misters'. Secondly, there's not enough Kojima around to cause that kind of interference. And third, try to keep up with the markers, you're sitting in front of a monitor at HQ, not chasing me around in a skimmer"

Kilo brought up his map

"So my next checkpoint is fifty-four kilometers out bearing oh-four-seven?"

There was no answer, only white noise. Kilo boosted up onto the roof one of the office buildings. This city couldn't be causing that much interference, and even if it was, Cradle 06's outpost is just eight miles away. The Lynx scanned the cityscape. The way-point became jittery before disappearing from his radar altogether.

ECM.

"Some one else is out here" Kilo gripped his machine-gun and rifle tightly as Fades boosters engaged. Launching the Core off like a blackened star, Kilo bounded off the decaying office rooftops, quick-boosting before they'd collapse under the NEXTs impact. Fades green optic eye narrowed as Kilo zoomed his vision in. He could tell the flickering boosters of another NEXT at any range.

Cradle 06 only had a few hundred Normals. But against another NEXT they're nothing but fodder. Even a lightweight scout like Fade stands nearly three times higher than a heavy Normal, and can take battalions of Normals before finally being whittled away. One-hundred Normals _might_ be able to distract a NEXT pilot for a few minutes or so, depending on skill. Luckily for now, experience is a rare commodity.

Kilo switched to regular boosting and let his energy recharge. He also cut off the power to his back mounted radar, some NEXTs' can pick up other radar signals. Needed element of surprise. Hopefully the Normals would be able to distract this new NEXT long enough for him to get the drop on it, but even still, Fade would be at a serious weight disadvantage. The attacker looked to be on the heavier side of the medium weight Cores. Fade was a feather weight scout. Its heaviest armament; the radar.

But to use a stealth based scout effectively in a combat role? That takes skill. Skill Kilo has in spades.

Arcs of electricity crackled off of Fades frame and stabilizers as the mechs opacity fell. Kilo holstered his machine gun and rifle in between two dorsal fins on his back, detaching a heavy pistol from his thigh and activating a energy blade on his right forearm. Even in a midday sky Fade was just barely a silhouette, but in tonights falling dusk; was as good as invisible. Fades thrusters whirred as Kilo bared down on his opponent. Remains of Normals littered the streets, thankfully all Normals are piloted by an AI. Fades energy blade began glowing a deep orange as Kilo readied for his strike, out stretching his arm behind him and lowering his torso with slight turn as to but his full weight into the one uppercut.

Kilo could finally make out some specifics of his target, back mounted chain gun and five port missile launcher with linked VTF shoulder missiles, and a pair of rifles. Its color scheme was white on a black subdued, no visible markings of allegiance; and he was already at Cradle 06 destroying the last Normal defender. Kilo eased into quick-boost sending Fade up past 950 KPH, another tapped quick-boost and Fade rocketed up to 1900 KPH, his back thrusters shining a vivid green on Kilo's second-stage.

Everything was on target. Kilo couldn't ask for a better start-up to a blade. Even his long-blade would do massive damage at under these conditions. If it were a Moonlight, there would be cleaving and halves.

Here it comes. Death riding on a metal steed.

Kilo's vision blurred into a mash of viscous light and dirt. He had heard the sound metal shearing against the plasmatic energy of his blade in his vicious upward slash.

_"No primal" _

Kilo stood there, his arm crossed over his jet-like torso, the blade flickering down. The whining of Fades thrusters died off as a cloud of dust and dirt over took the mech.

It was all too silent.

Kilo looked over his shoulder but saw nothing but a light-brown haze. He turned around, facing the rolling wall of dirt and smoke. Fades green eye darted left and right. If he had dodged it had to have been to the left; away from the blade, not with it.

Kilo suddenly looked upwards.

Nothing but a hazy night sky.

"AC's aren't_ samurai's..._" thought Kilo

The red light eye of Kilos' target broke through the settling dust and smoke. Its weight focused on his left leg with his right leg kicked out behind him. His left arm up across his torso, still holding his rifle. There was a long tear in his armor that ran up the course of his fore-arm, still red hot from Kilos blade. The unnamed NEXT focused his rifle at his attacker. Kilo took a half step back, readying himself for an evasive maneuver.

He waited for the attack, poised to boost-turn right as the first shot went off. Then it dawned on him. The nameless mech _was _attacking, or at least trying too. The red optic lens glanced down at his rifle. The scar that started at his elbow continued past his hand, all the way past the magazine well. A series of sharp metallic snap and half the rifle fell from the serration. The other mech tossed the remaining half aside and reached behind his back, preparing to draw what looked to be a machine-pistol side arm. Both Cores tensed up, caught in a stand off.

_Break_

The nameless mech swung his right arm around but instead fired a salvo of missiles before boosting around to his right, drawing the machine-pistol. Kilo easily boost-turned around the missiles, firing his pistol at the strays, detonating them early. The nameless NEXT re-acquired Fade in his sights, peppering him with light arms fire. Kilo second-staged to his left, escaping target lock, then quick-boosted onto his outstretched leg, popping himself up into the air while firing his pistol at the nameless one, striking multiple hits. _"Still no Primal"_ The mech tucked himself under the pistol fire, doing a short boost backward. Kilo landed face to face with his opponents rifle, his sensors cut to static as a round tore through Fades head He was barely able to boost-turn around to his foes left side, still taking several rounds to his left shoulder as well as the radar in doing so.

Kilo dug a foot into the ground boosting with the other sides thrusters, twisting himself back around with incredible velocity. A brilliant orange streak swept across in a vivid crescent. The nameless NEXT stumbled back, another red scar burned across the mechs surface. Kilo fought to regain his footing, he never was a fan of high risk-high reward maneuvers. Kilo faced his staggered opponent, lunging at him backhanded with his blade. The nameless mech recovered quickly though, quick-boosting backward and shooting Fade center mass with the machine-pistol. Fades blade _just _sweeping across the nameless mechs abdomen. Kilo emptied the rest of pistol at the other Lynx.

It barely phased the nameless one.

The nameless adversary's shoulder missiles unfolded. He had full missile lock, and Kilo had no working sensors to warn him. He second-staged into a backwards boost-turn, using his momentum to out run the salvo, Fade sped across the ground in a frenzy of quick turns, avoiding the straight fire missiles. The VTF missiles, however, launch upwards, making them much more difficult to evade. Kilo bolted back in between the buildings. The nameless mech had unfolded its back mounted chain gun and was laying fire at Fades position. Buildings erupted in a mass of fire and shattered glass as missiles and bullets laid waste to Kilos' cover. The streets lit up in bright red flashes as the VTF missiles detonated along the street behind Kilo, the musty buildings saturated in the destructive light.

Kilo slowed and took shelter behind a parking garage after the last VTF stuck. They had been Inferno class missiles and left a flaming pillar of embers in their wake. Kilo disengaged his radar and drew the machine-gun he'd holstered before the fight, keeping it hidden behind the garage. He poked his damaged head around the corner, A flurry of tracers shot out, grazing across Fades chassis. The nameless mechs missile rack unfolded, launching five unguided missile at Kilos position, missing him but striking the opposite building sending glass and concrete bouncing off Fades back. Kilo stepped out from his cover, staring down the larger Core. The unknown mechs missile ports unfolded again. Kilo counted in his head, _one, two, three... _four seconds for missile lock.

_Fire_

Kilos' machine-gun erupted in a fury of bullets just as the nameless launched the salvo. All five missiles detonated in succession, point-blank, violently knocking the Core around. The two VTF missiles streaked up into the sky. He boosted at the still stunned mech, grabbing onto his torso and glaring into the red lens eye of his foe. The VTF missiles reached the apex of their flight and quickly bared down onto Kilos position. Instant later, Kilo second-staged backwards, leaning forward to keep balance as he stopped. He looked up at the nameless mech caught in a twisting blaze of fire. Kilo stood up straight. The nameless Core, still ablaze, raised himself from up off his knee, his silhouette flickering in the dancing fires.

Kilo opened his com-channels to all frequencies.

"Are you done yet? Can you go home now? Or do I get to sell your burnt metal carcass off as scrap?"

The fires died down around the nameless Core, his armor black and charred, the missile rack barely hanging off its mount, his armor stripped off the shoulder and part of the right torso, exposing the internal mechanics. Smoke ans steam billowing off the cooling armor. The radio chimed with a cracking static. A young, almost child-like voice came through.

"Take the shot"

Kilo was twice taken aback. Once for the age and skill of the pilot, and again for such a request to be killed. He really was only joking about the scrap, asking a rhetorical question to sound intimidating. Kilo drew his rifle and aimed it as the damaged mech.

"Well, I could use some spa-" Kilo was cut off

"Not you, dumb-ass"

Loud noise, like a train wreck. Then darkness.

Kilo's HUD flickered on, barely able to show enough a picture to understand what just happened. Two pairs of legs were visible, one of the kids nameless mech, and another set he didn't recognize, probably of the female who spoke to him before he blacked out. Kilo tried to push himself up, but his arm hit nothing. Because there was no arm. Behind the pair of legs lay a pile of his weapons along with his arm, severed from the shoulder, leaking fluids and sparking. Kilo rolled onto his back and was greeted with a very bright light. He raised his working hand and shielded the light from his Cores optics, a large aircraft was hovering above him, lowering all sorts of chains. A group of normals went around hooking the chains up around Fades chassis. The group grabbed onto the chains as Fade started to rise up into the air.

Kilo brought his radio online, adjusted the frequencies. The two Lynx were following the aircraft and were talking with each other. He couldn't make out much of what they were saying, the most he got was 'Maybe Gerrit will be pleased, he thought we couldn't get this one'

_-END PART ONE-_


End file.
